Card-displaying device



n. INCHES. A

CARDl DISPLAYING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED MMLZZ |920.

D. INCHES.

CARD DISFLAYING DEVICE. A APPLlcMloN FILED MAR.22,1920. l $69,245. Patnted Feb. 22, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- BRAKE sT 16 b1 D AVI E- s T jrg. ,Ume

omino STATES` Parel-3m OFFICE.

DAVID INCHES, OF VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLU1YIBIA,-CANA'DA`.

CARD-DISPLAYING DEVICE.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Feu 22, 192i.

Application led March 22, 1920. Serial No. 367,770. 4

Ying Devices, of which the following is a specification.

T his invention relates to a street indicator for railway street cars' or the like, and is designed to indicate to the passengers in the car the next approaching street crossing or place at which the car may stop, when required. It is of that class manually operated bythe conductor or party in charge of the car, immediately the car passes the last stopping place.

The invention is fully described in the following specification, reference *being made to the drawings by which it is accompanied, in which: Y 1

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device with the near side of the casing removed to reveal the operative parts.

Fig. 2 is a detach d View of the name plateholding frame. i

Fig. 3, an enlarged detail of the "check lpawl of the operating' shaft.

Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the device complete. v

F-ig. 5 is an inverted plan. i 0

Figs. 6 and 7 are detached views of adjacent street name plates.

Fig. 8 isan enlarged ating sheave. y

The device comprises a name plate holding frame composed of end members 2 me-l dially y'connected together `by a distance maintaining and supporting rod 4. 0n each end of each member 2 substantially semicircular arcs 3 oi bent wire are secured :to project from the same side. On these arcs 3 street name plates 5 are threaded to move freely. l j

From diagonally opposite corners of these plates 5 portions are removed leaving equa-l detail of the actuvportions 6 projecting. The position of the removed corners is opposite on Vadjacent plates, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the reason for which will be seen later.

The frame 2, 3, 4 is pivotally supportedv within an open bottomed casing 7 on hooks 8 secured to and depending romthe upper side of .the casing 7 at such height that the name plates as they hang free on the arcs 3 will show below the lower edge of the casing and in view of the passengers in the car,

in vthe front end of which the' device is secured by the wall plate l5. l l When the frame .2, 3, 4 with the naine plates 5 is hung in the hook bearings 8, the name plates are initially retained in a hori-v Zontal position within the casing 7 by the Y inwardly turned ends 10 of levers 9 mounted at 11 on each side in the upper part ,of the casing, te inwaiidlyy turned end 10 en-v gaging t e iagonal y o 'osite ro'ectin ends 6 of the bottom card? .Y J Y g The levers 9 are connected by links 12 to crank pins 13 set diametrically oppositelone another on theends of a shaft 14 rotatably mounted within the casing adjacent the wall plate 15; These opposed crank pins, if the shaft 'be rotated through ahalf "revolution,l

will o positely move the levers 9 that their inwar ly turned ends 10 will be brought to the opposite diagonal corners of fthe'botf tom name plate, from which portions have been removed. The card 5 being thus deprived of its end supports, is' free to fall along the arcs 3 to hang vertically ther from below the casing 7, as shown in Fig. 4; but as the projections 6 are on diagonally opposite corners on the adjacent cards, the next card will be supported on the inwardly turned ends 10 of the 'levers' until those n.

levers are again reversed in position. l

The successive release of the bottom cards 5 from withiny the casing 17, and the eX- posure of their outer faces to the passengers inthe car is thus eiiected by the periodic movement of the levers 9.

The shaft 14 is rotated through the half rotation necessary to alternately project and withdraw the levers V9 by a sheave ring 16 rotatably mounted on a smallk disk 17 sef cured on the shaft Y14, vwith afpawl'and ratchet engagement 18 betweenthe sheave ring and the disk. Y

,The sheave ring 16 is circumferentially grooved to receive an operating cord 20'to be pulled by the operator, the end of which is secured at 19 to the 'sheave andthe sheave ring is provided with stops 21'limiting move- I ment of the ring in eitherV direction to the one hundred and1eighty"(180o) degrees necessary to reverse the position of the crank pins 13. A spring 22 isy coiled on the shaft` 14, one ,endv of' which coil is connected at 23` toy a bearing bracketA of the shaft' and tlieother tothe ring 16.Y This spring normally holds the sheave ring 16 with one of its stops 21 against the bracket in which the shaft 14 is mounted, and when `the opera'- Y tor pulls the cord 2O` the other stop 21 of the sheave ring is brought against the other side of the bracket, by virtue of the ratchet hold between the ring and the disk, and rotates the shaft 14 to change the position of e the levers 9, and on release'of the cord, the shaft 14 is held against backward movement by a kcheck pawl 24 while the slieave ring 16. is returned by the spring 22. Y

yThe casing 7, which carries the name plate holding frame 2, 3, 4, is slidably mounted on members 25 secured, to and projecting from the wall plate 15 within each side of Y th'ecasing, which members 25 carry the supporting and releasing levers 9. rllhe casing is retained in `its Ynormal'V position against the wall plate 15 by a latch member 26 secured to the wall plate` and projecting forward from it to engage the forward edge of Vfrointheir pendant position to a horizontal positionrabove the inwardly turned ends 10 ofthe levers 9, as shown'A the dot `and dash lines in Fig. 1, when the casing may be pushed back to its normal position and thedevice is ready foraction. Y In use, as soon as the car passes one stopping place the conductor or other authorized partyv pulls the vcord 20 which rotates the [shaft 14to reverse. the position of the levers 9, the inwardlyr turned ends 10 of which being brought opposite the removed portion of the bottom card will permit that card to fall alongv thearc wires 3V and it will hangexposedbelow the lower edge of vthe casingV 7, with Vthe name of the next' stopping place exposed to the passengers. l

Ifvth'e car ls running on a circular track, when it reaches the end of the circuit, and

all the nameholding plates have been released'from the horizontal position vwithin the casing andhave assumedthe verticalV exposed position below it, the operator lifts the depending name plates along thev arcs 3 and restores them to the horizontal position above the inwardly turned ends 10 `of the levers 9. v

lVhere Athe car is required to run backward on the same. track the name plate holding frame with the plates 5 are turned end for end in the hook bearings 8 before they are lifted tothe horizontal position within the casing. Y

I donot desire to be confined to the particular means herein shown andrdescribedv forfoperating the reciprocating levers 9, as the same may beV effected by any suitable mechanism.

Although specifically described and illustrated in its application as a street indicator, the same device may be used to display advertising cards, either in conjunction with the street car indicator or apart therefrom. v

The essential feature of the invention resides in the manner of mounting the plates 5 and their supporting frame, and in the manner of effecting theirY release, one byv lt will be observed that, by mounting the bination a seriesof plates the faces of which i it is required tosuccessively expose, means for connecting these plates toa pivotally mounted frame, means for supporting the plates in a horizontal position, and means forsuccessively releasing thefbottom plate,v of the series from Vsuch support whereby itV may assume a vertical position.

YV2. A display device, comprising in com'- bination, a series of plates the faces of which it is required to successively expose, a piv-Y ctallymounted frame having curved wires on which the plates are threaded, means'for supporting the plates in a horizontal posif tion, and means for successively releasing the bottom plate of the series from its horizontal support whereby it may assume a vertical position on the curved wires.

3. A display device, comprising Vin combination, a series of plates the faces of which it is required yto successively expose, saidplates having projections fromdiagonally opposite corners, the projections 'of adjacent plates being from the ends of opposite diagonale, means for connectingthese plates from a common center, lmeans for supporting the plates in afsubstantially horizontal position by engagement of the projections of the bottomplate,.means Vfor reversing theposition of such supports that the bottom plate is deprived of such sup-l port andv is free to fall while the remainder ofthe plates are retained in the horizontal position' by engagement ofthe supports with the diagonal projections of the next plate.

4. A display device, comprising in combination, a series of plates the -faces of which it is required to successively expose, curved wires on which. these plates are threaded, said iwires kbeing carried on a frame maintained the required distance apart by a Vdistance rod at approximately the common center of the curvedv wires, means for pivotally supporting'they frame and its connected plates within a suitable casing, means for supporting the plates in a substantially horizontal position within the casing, means for releasing the bottom plate of the series from the supporting means whereby it may be allowed to fall on the curved wires and assume a vertical po'- sition below the casing.

5. A display device, comprising in combination, a plate suspending frame composed of two end wires bent to a substantially semi-circular form and supported at a suitable distance apart on a rod at approximately the center of the curved wires, plates separately threaded on these wires, said plates having projections from diagonally opposite ends the projections of adjacent plates being at the ends of opposite diagonals, a casing within which the plate holding wires are pivotally supported, said easing having an open bottom below the lower edge of which the plates are free to hang on the wires, levers pivotally mounted within the casing, said levers having inwardly turned ends adapted to engage the end projections of the .bottom plate and wlres and assume a vertical position suspended therefrom, and the remainder of the plates within the casing are supported by the end projections of the next plate on the inwardly turned ends of the levers.

' In testimony'whereof I affix my signature..

DAVID INCHES. 

